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BY 

CHARLES R. BERNETZKE 

PHOENIX, ARIZONA 

1917 




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Introduction 

'X'HE author of this Booklet is not a personal friend 
of ours, and for that reason we can be frank in 
expressing our favorable view of his work; but we 
think he has already rendered a great service to the 
people of the West, and not to Arizona alone. The 
present Booklet seems 'bo us a model of lucid, pictur- 
esque and sympathetic narrative, and no doubt it will, 
we feel sure, be o'f lasting value to those who may 
have the pleasure of reading it. 

No, kind reader, we never questioned your intelli- 
gence — you read this Booklet, and that speaks in 
terms of its own. 

NEWS PUBLISHING CO. 



©CI.A47588? 

-7 1917 



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COPYRIGHTED 1917 
PUBLISHED BY 

Charles R. Bernetzke 
phoenix, arizona 



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Contents 

Page 

Desert Scene — Prospector with His Burro Cover Design 

Caught On the Wing 6 

Season's Greeting 7 

Our Creed: Good Will Toward All Men 7 

Those Familiar Scenes of Bygone Days 7 

A Tribute to Mother 8 

To My Friends of Nature's Molding 8 

Valley of Maricopa County's Soul 9 

Come With Us 9 

The Land of Today 10 

Off for the Country 11 

Scatter Your Flowers of Love Today 11 

When We Have Done Our Task 11 

Today's Tribute 11 

Write M>ofther That Letter Before It Is Too Late 12 

Invitation to James Whitcomb Riley 13 

An Arizona Ranger Toast 14 

Broken Promises 14 

Little Things of Life 15 

Do What You Can 15 

Old Burro, Friend of Mine 16 

(With illustration on opposite page) 

The Lonely Prospector's Life in the Golden West 17 

Come, Friend, With Me 18 

The Poet's Prayer 18 

Some of Life's Characters 19 

Campaign Letters I Have Not Sent 19 

For Arizona 19 

Rustle for Your Own 20 

A Nature's Prayer 21 

Why Not Cheer Them? 21 

Look Pleasant 22 

Christmastide 22 

Arizona, an Ole Sweetheart o' Mine 23 

This Is the Land 23 

Life's Friendly Smile 24 



T TVT C • ^^^^ 

Love Means bervice 24 

Boost for "Yavapai" 25 

Courtesy Has a Big Value 26 

A Blessing 26 

Christmas Night 21 

The Fruits of Our Labor 27 

Arizona, God's Country 28 

School Days 28 

An Arizona Toast 29 

The Cactus Giant 29 

Nature's Beauty Helps to Form Character 30 

More Brotherhood of Man Is the Cry Today 30 

Peace Thonght 30 

Don't Feel Blue 31 

If He Is Your Friend 31 

Meters Everywhere 31 

San Xavier Mission Fathers Were Trail Blazers 32 

When San Xavier Mission Was New 32 

(With illustration on next page) 

February Month Is One of Awakening ZZ 

A True Heart I Want for a Friend ZZ 

Cause for Thanksgiving 34 

Arizona Nuggets 35 

To My Successor 36 

New Year's Time 37 

A Bed of Violets 38 

Let Nature Comfort You 39 

What's In the Heart Will Appear in the Face 39 

Natural Thoughts of God's Nature Land 40 

A Bright New Year 42 

The Flower of Civilization 43 

Desert's Beauty By Moonlight 44 

My California Friend 44 

The Joy of Outdoor Life 45 

When We First Met 45 

Toil, the Price of Peace and Joy 45 

The Friendship Flower 46 

Arizona Welcomes You 46 

Salutation 47 




CAUGHT ON THE WING 



Author's Note 

^WING to the many demands of my western friends 
and acquaintances to publish my poems and 
short articles in booklet form, although many of them 
have already appeared in the local press from time to 
time, and collecting them has been a difficult task ow- 
ing to the number 'of my poiems having been lost since 
my twelve years of literary work, while on the other 
hand, for the want of space in this Booklet, half the 
material on hand must wait for some future date. 

The contents of this Booklet is optimistic and con- 
structive, creating conservative opinion, progressive, 
uplifting and bettering human conditions, to promote 
the brotherhood of man. It appeals to a substantial 
and thinking class. 

THE AUTHOR. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Season's Greeting 

A CCEPT this little book from me 
''^ As a pledge of friendship true ; 
On its pages find good wishes 

That the writer brings to you; 
And may nothing come between us 

But the seasons that come and go — 
May the friendliness the future brings 

Make us ever warmer friends. 



Our Creed : Good Will Toward All Men 

A S THE world grows older we learn that the broth- 
^"^ erhood of man includes all races and all creeds ; 
and especiially on this continent, dedicated to liberty, 
to justice and to human betterment, we must learn, as 
we are learning, that we have too many problems of 
common interest, too many economic, industrial and 
political questions which demand the best that is in a'l 
of us to waste our time in selfish strife. We must put 
such things behind us and turn our faces to the work 
of building up our common country and to the solving 
of those problems of social democracy which help to 
make for peace on earth and good will toward all men. 



Those Familiar Scenes of Bygone Days 

'X'HE old rail fence and the log cabin, that both still 
"'" bring sacred thoughts of hallowed memory and 
tender recollection, are no more. These old friends 
of ours have served us well — we need them no more ; 
we have grown beyond them. 

But, today, when I witnessed the tearing down of 
the last adobe house in the neighborhood of our desert 
city, it seemed to me (old foggy that I am) that the 
event was solemn enough to celebrate with appropri- 
ate and impressive ceremonies. 



8 CACTUS AND "BLOSSOMS 

A Tribute to Mother 

DIGHT at the beginning of this Booklet, I wish to 
■*• give the credit for what I am and for what I have 
done exactly where it belongs — to my mother — for she 
was my inspiration in my boyhood years and taught 
me how to pray. 

At my mother's knees I learned the prayers 

That bring back memories of boyhood years — 
/Memories that still bless and burn 

Of hope and gain, eternal blessed ; 
Memories that shall ever bless and burn, 

Even until memories have fled. 

To My Friends of Nature's Molding 

TTHERE are men that time but mellows as it ever 

onward goes. 
There are hearts that carry fragrance as the fragrance 

of the rose ; 
There are greetings that are warmer for the snowy 

frosted head. 
There are memories we shall treasure e'en till memory 

has fled. 
There are faces in our midst time has furrowed, where 

are joy and sorrow blend. 
There are feet that ne'er grow weary when on deeds 

of kindness bent ; 
There are souls that bid defiance to each worldly selfish 

creed; 
There are men we love to honor for each thought and 

word and deed. 
There are those who are sunbeams in our ranks as they 

go to their daily round. 
They are worthy of remembrance, for seldom are they 

found. 
So I write this humble tribute, though it needs a 

worthier pen. 
To my Arizona friends of nature's molding, one who 

loves his fellowmen. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Valley of Maricopa County's Soul 

IN GOOD old Maricopa County 
•■• There is a valley green, 
The fairest, rarest, dearest, 

Of all this state, I ween. 
Oh, its silvery, laughing rivulets, 

Hedged in with flowers gay, 
And rows of palms so stately, 

Have won my love for aye. 

In its softly smiling bosom 

A golden harvest lies ; 
Methinks the sunshine's glory 

Hath strayed down from on high. 
And within the breast of nature 

Hath hid itself in part. 
So we call this golden treasure 

'Maricopa County's heart. 

But o'er this valley lovely 

A blessed spirit thrills, 
It breathes in fields so sunny, 

And o'er the verdant hills ; 
It breathes from ripening orchards, 

'Tis free beyond control ; 
'Tis the spirit of the harvest, 

From Maricopa County's soul. 

Come With Us 

CAY, you of the city! who sweat and toil, 
*^ Come with us to the woods and hills, 
Away from the noises and city strife. 
In our cabin among the whispering trees, 
Among the birds and the humming bees ; 
The land of nature and God's free soil, 
Where man meets his maker, face to face — 
His work you will find on every hand. 
Come ! abide with us in this beautiful land. 



10 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

The Land of Today 

C WING inward, O times of the future ; 
^ Swing outward, ye times of the past; 
For the soul of the people is moving 
Westward is the call of today. 

The days of the old are retreating, 

The green meadows have signalled the change; 
Southward the empire's way is beating, 

And calling the sons of today. 

The soil tells the same fruitful story, 
The seasons their bounties display, 

And the flowers lift their faces in glory 
To catch the sun kisses of day. 

The desert has awakened from slumber, 

And rendered its beauty at last ; 
The land is prepared for the many, 

The future has conquered the past. 



Off for the Country 

JUST for a stay in the country once a year ; 
Just for a stay where shade plays on a creek? 
Shooting, fishing and watching the trout at play 
In the waters, joyed with delight, as they swim 
Over boulders by the moss-grown rocks, 
Turn and splash, pitch and leap to and fro. 

Just for a stay in the country, and leave the noise far 

behind ; 
Life's mad blur, the city's turmoil and strife. 
Foolish struggling all the time; all the jar 
Lost in that shady nook by the brook afar. 
Just for a stay — and there to seek quietude from all jar. 
One can find it by a creek up in Yavapai. 



w 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 11 

Scatter Your Flowers of Love Today 

E SHOULD all show more of our appreciation to 
our friends while they are living with us, and not 
wait, as we are too often inclined to do, to place the 
flowers fo appreciation on their coffin, instead of to the 
living-. 

Oh, my friend, it would be better 

If to those we love we gave 
Tender words while they are with us, 

Than to say them over a grave. 
Those w^ho die no longer need them. 

And the words they longed to hear 
While they lived, are only wasted 
On the cold, silent, deaf ear. 



When We Have Done Our Task 

\Y7HEN we have done our task 
^ And lay down our earthly robes, 
That we can truthfully say : 
On our great American altar 
We have sacrificed our best ; 
Never known to have faltered 
When our country called for us. 
Deeds, not great, but humble efforts, 
We served our country with the best, 
That will be placed in America's record 
By the true home-loving men. 



Today's Tribute 

TTHERE is no greater tribute to be paid a man in 
^ these days of selfishness than when you can say 
of him : ''He is on the square." 



12 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Write Mother That Letter Before It Is Too Late 

IF YOU have a gray-haired mother 

In the old home far away, 
Sit down and write the letter 

You put off day by day ; 
Don't wait until her tired steps 

Reach Heavens pearly gate, 
But sho)w her that you still love her 

Before it is too late. 

If you've a tender message 

Or a loving word to say, 
Don't wait till you forget it, 

But whisper it to her today. 
Who knows what bitter memories 

May haunt you if you wait ; 
So make your loving mother happy 

Before it is too late. 

We live but in the present. 

The future is unknown : 
Tomorrow is a mystery, 

Today is all our own. 
The chance to write that letter 

May vanish while you wait. 
So send your mother that letter 

Before it is too late. 

The tender word unspoken, 

The letters never sent ; 
The long forgotten messages, 

The wealth of love unspent. 
For these a mother's heart is breaking, 

For these a loving mother waits ; 
Show her that you care for her 

Before it is too late. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 13 

Invitation to James Whitcomb Riley 

TTHE author sent the following cordial invitation to 
"the poet laureate of Indiana," James Whitcomb 
Riley, who was spending the winter at Palm Beach, 
Florida : 
Dear Sir and Friend : 

Phoenix, Arizona, and the beautiful sun-kissed val- 
ley of Southern Arizona extends to you a most cordial 
invitation to spend a winter among the orange groves. 
Where sunshine is our burnin' hearth, 
And friends are gathered 'round it; 
Old faces aglow, from far an' near, 
That are from northland journeying here. 
Each winter day brings a delight 
Of sunny skies an' fields so bright, 
That's summer sunshine in this clime, 
That balmy air Arizona yields. 
The latch string's always hangin' out 
For good friends, old an' new; 
My hearth is wide, come oiit ihere — 
I've saved a place for you, friend. 
Sincerely yours, 

"The Poet of the Desert." 
The other is "Greeting from My Arizona": 
The year's still young, friend and poet laureate. 

It's leap-year once ag'in. 
That gives an extra chance for me 

To make an end o' bachelor days ; 
And may the wrinkles 1916 bring you 

Be the sort loving smiles leave behind, 
An' the only clouds above you 

Be the fragrant of a loving kind. 
The answer received is dated : 

Indianapolis, Feb. 3, 1916. 
My Dear Mr. Bernetzke : 

I wish to thank you for your poetical message of 
invitation and good wishes and to return happy greet- 
ings to you Verv sincerelv vours. 

JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY. 



14 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

A (Arizona) Ranger Toast 

CO HERE'S for the strenuous life, 

The life in the southwestern land, 
Where a man who steals a horse gets caught 
By the peerless Ranger gang (man). 

So here's for rifle and horse, 

And the spur and saddle, too ; 
And the cowboy's call "Come, one and all; 

This is the western life for you." 

So here's for the long, white, dusty trail 
'Neath scorching sun or moonlight pale; 

Over the desert, hills and mountain trail, 
By shaft of copper and gold. 

So here's for the wooded hill, 

Where the bear and pumiiia roams, 
And the wildcat springs from a leafy bough. 

And the jackal makes his home. 

So here's for the Arizona life — 

The life that is gay and free — 
Where the sky's your roof and the ground your floor, 
and the whole southwest is an open door : 

That is the Me for me. 

Broken Promises 

17EW people realize the misery that has been caused 
^ in this world to the countless lives that have been 
lost because of 'broken promises — all the misery and 
hopelessness that has been caused by a failure to keep 
a given word. In business, 'm private, in fraternal and 
public life, the greatest aim of every man worthy of the 
name is that his word shall be inviolate. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 15 

Little Things of Life 

IT'S JUST the little things of life— the little things 
A of life— 

That make the tears and sunshine of this earthly strife ; 
Little satisfactions, little words of cheer, 
Little deeds of kindness, make life worth living here. 
Little words of comfort to the weary, troubled mind, 
Till its murmur joins in concert with the gentle sum- 
mer wind. 
Though the clouds above are big and drear and black, 
Just one little ray of sunlight will turn the darkness 

back. 
Let us, then, remember as we toil along the way, 
'Tis not the big things of tomorrow, but the small 
things of today, 
That make life worth living- here. 



'& 



Do What You Can 

r\0 WHAT you can. 
Be what you are ; 
Shine like a glow worm 

If you cannot like a star. 
Work like a pulley, 

If you cannot like a crane. 
Be a wheel-greaser, 

If you cannot drive the train. 

Be the pliant oar, 

If you cannot be the sail. 
Be the little needle, 

If you cannot be the tailor. 
Be the cleaning broom, 

If you cannot be the sweeper. 
Be the sharpened sickle, 

If you cannot be the reaper. 
But don't be the wheel-greaser, 

If you ought to drive the train. 



o 



10 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Old Burro, Friend of Mine 

LD Burro, friend of mine — 
My pard of former days — 
O'er desert plains, through canyon deep, 
We've wandered on our ways ; 
We never saw our spirit sag 
Or lose the charm for richer strike, 
That led us far and wdde. 

Old Burro, friend of mine — 

WeVe waded through many a stream. 

Faithful and brave you bore the load 

And served me, and me alone. 

I never saw you limp or lag. 

Or lose the winding trail 

That in no man's land 'twould lead. 

Old Burro, friend of mine — 

We've roamed around the lonely hills, 

And oft beneath the starry skies 

Slept together on nature's bocom sound, 

Dreaming of better days and richer strikes 

That vanished with the morn/ing dawn, 

And we've never seen nor found. 

But, old Burro, friend of mine, 
The eve bespeaks the night — 
Your face, age-gray, tells its tale — 
Mine, too, is growing white. 
But soon from earth's abysmal crag, 
Those border mounts we'll scale 
And forever cross the great divide. 



M 



ANY a gem of purest ray lies hidden on some 
mountain top ; and manv a flower is blushed un- 



seen and wasting its fragrance in the desert air. 





The Arizona prospector with his burros, on the desert bare, 
Away from the tender loved one's care. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 17 

The Lonely Prospector's Life in the Golden West 

I AM a lonely prospector in the West, 
■■• I feel weary and worn tonight ; 
The day lies behind me in shadow, 
And only the evening sky is light. 

Gleaming with the sunset glory 

That lingers about the golden west, 

My poor heart is tired and aweary 
And longs like a child for rest. 

Let me dream once more of the golden nuggets, 

Of the hills I in loneliness trod, 
When the scorching sun at noontide 

Beats down on my snow-flaked head. 

For to me life's seventy-eighth mile-stone. 

But a wasteful journey marks ; 
Rough lies the hill country before me, 

Behind me the long trail of a wasted life. 

Yet the prospector knows of no sorrow. 
Nor pain nor hardship that may befall ; 

Those gone before him have suffered 
A lonely plot on some mountain side. 

But tell me of a rich gold strike. 

That falls on the wound like a balm, 

And my heart that is bruised and broken 
Shall find sweet repose in the golden west. 

e** ^%f e*9 

A KIND and gentle word is to the heart like the 
^^ sunshine or the rain to a budding flower, and 
costs the giver nothing. 



18 CACTUS AND, BLOSSOMS 

Come, Friend, With Me 

r^OME, friend, with me! 

^^ We'll leave the hot city streets behind, 

And seek, just you and I, a road we know, 
That, coaxing on through shady mountain lanes. 

Leads to a bank where sparkling waters flow. 

Come, friend, with me ! 

For what is to us the world of city life, 

A little world so filled with petty strife, 
That has bowed you down in the strife? 

Let's know for a while the joy of outdoor life. 



Come, friend, with me ! 

Let us forget for just a little while 

Tomorrow's care — the grief of yesterday. 
Today is ours ; so let us enjoy life — 

Just you and I and our outdoor friend, Arizona. 

The Poet's Prayer 

r\ LORD, give them eyes to see, for blind are they 
^^ Who stumble through life riches to gain. 
They do not hear nature's sweet voice calling here, 
The stream and the birds that call and say : 
Come, feast of the nature's gifts ; come, partake 
From the Master's handiwork that keeps the soul in 

thrall ; 
Come into nature's freedom, one and all. 
Look ! Listen ! Come, it's free for all. 
And unto me, O Lord, give grace 
As I wander through this ungrateful world. 
The beauty of Thy handiwork let me see. 
And with Thy touch mine eyes open keep, 
That I may draw from nature's beauty here 
My life and hope. O Lord, rest all alone in Thee. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 19 

Some of Life's Characters 

'T'HE world is full of people who have the gift of say- 
ing and doing puny, flattering things. They are 
everywhere found; men who just seek to foster their 
own interest. It is a world of hard work, selfishness 
and disappointment. Thousands of people have been 
disappointed by men whom they have trusted and in 
whom they have put their confidence and thought them 
to be their benefactors, when they have been used all 
these years as material for feathering their nest, and 
when they awaken and come to realize, to their sorrow, 
the little chicks have already been hatched and they are 
left out in the cold to shift for themselves in the rainy 
days. 

Campaign Letters I Have Not Sent 

HAVE written them — keen and sarcastic and long, 
With righteously wrathful intent. 
Not a stroke undeserved, nor a censure too strong; 
And some, alas ! some of them went ! 

I have written them, challenging, eager to fight, 

All hot with a merited ire; 
And some of them chanced to be kept over night, 

And mailed the next day — in the fire ! 

Ah ! blessed the letters that happily go 

On errands of kindliness bent. 
But much of my peace and my fortune I owe 

To the campaign letters I never have sent ! 

For Arizona 

V/OUR laws are the greatest and best of the nations, 
*- Your care for old pioneers there's none can outdo ; 
The bad man with his evils you've banished forever, 
And as a result all states now bow to you. 

So may your bright star in the west shine forever. 
For well have you earned its place among the rest. 
No longer a hissing and by-word — you've risen. 
And all down the ages shall men point to you, Arizona. 



20 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Rustle For Your Own 

A RE you fumin' and fretin', 
'**' Are you still blue and forlorn? 
Or are you hustlin' and forgettin' 
That bad luck was ever born? 

D'on't you know the road to fortune 
Is to plug and plod along? 

Don't you know if you're bed-ridden, 
You are not where you belong? 

For your own sake stop bawling, 
Get out and do some howling ; 

You'll have a cap without a feather 
If you only warm a chair. 

Stop that knockin' — be a booster — 
There's I'ots of room in this liand. 

Come and rustle, get a home ; 
Pay on the installment plan. 

Times are good, improvin' steady, 
Save your coin and be ready ; 

Get yours in shape for "biz" — 

Build your own when you're ready. 

Don't be kick'in' and a-cussin', 
Just because Smith bought a home; 

If you want to get your own, 
You've got to do some rustlin'. 

You must get out and rustle. 

And hustle, and bustle, and tustle. 

"Make good, of could" — get a place 
What you can call your own. 

Drop that fool talk of "luck" ; 

Get a grip on your pluck and buck. 
Hit the trail and don't swerve 

From the path you're going to follow. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 21 

A Nature's Prayer 

CUN and moon, shine upon me ; 

*^ Make glad my days and clear my nights ! 

Earth, whose child I am, 

Grant me thy patience here. 

Heaven, whose heir I shall be, 

Keep burning my hope in thee. 

Your steadfastness I need, O hills ! 

O, rain, thy kindness I adore ! 

Snow, keep me pure ; 

Oh, fire, teach me thy pride ! 

From you, ye wiinds I ask your blitheness, 

And a whispering message. Oh, trees. 

From thee I pray. 

Oh, flowers, thy love I beseech of thee 
While journeying here below. 
The beauty of thy handiwork Almighty 
Inspire me to sing on earth. 
And when life's done here below. 
Oh, God, grant me to sing thy praises 
In the other world beyond the skies. 
Is a poet's humble prayer. 

Why Not Cheer Them? 

'T'HERE are heroes with wan faces, 
Who uplift their fallen brothers ; 
Heroes who, in humble places. 

Labor for the love of others. 
Why not pause sometimes to cheer them 

For the good deeds they have done; 
Why not wiillingly revere them 

For their patience and their zeal. 
While yet their ears can hear them. 

Before it is too late. 

4* 4* 4* 

TF YOU are too busy to notice the sweet melodies of 
^ the birds and the different tints of the wild flowers 
once in a while, you are working entirely too hardT. 



22 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Look Pleasant 

^E CANNOT, of course, all be handsome, 
^^ And it's hard for us all to be good ; 
We are sure now and then to be lonely. 
And we don't always do as we should. 

To be patient is not always easy, 
To be cheerful is much harder still ; 

But at least we can always be pleasant 
If we make up our minds that we will. 

And it pays every time to be kindly, 
Although you feel worried and blue ; 

Smile at the world and look cheerful — 
The world will soon smile back at you. 

So try to brace up and look pleasant. 

No matter how low you are down ; 
Good humor is always contagious, 

But you banish your friends when you frown. 

Christmastide 

Q CHRISTMASTIDE, O sweet delight, more than 

^^ human bliss, 

With her to live that ever loving is ; 

To hear her speak whose words are so divine, 

That she by them, as they in her are graced ; 

Those looks to view that feast the viewer's eye. 

How blest is he that may yet live on Christmastide. 

Such Christmas love as this the golden times did know, 

When all did reap, yet none took care to sow ; 

Such love as this an endless Christmas makes, 

And all distaste from frail affection takes. 

So loved, so blessed, is my beloved, am I ; 

Which still our eyes may see another Christmastide. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 23 

Arizona, An Ole Sweetheart o' Mine 

lyiY FRIENDS, don't tell nobody, 
^^^ But I've got a valentine 
From a charmin' little lady, 

That's an ole sweetheart o' mine. 

She isn't young no longer, 

But she's sweet as she can be, 
An' I'm lucky to have had her 

Growqn' old along with me. 

Makes no diff'rence what my mood is, 

She won't fail to understan'; 
There's a soothin' warmth o' friendship 

In her touch upon my han'. 

So I've chose the sweetest o' them. 

An' I've loved her best o' all. 
For a valentine, little lady, 

My dear sweetheart Arizona, o' mine. 

This Is the Land 

PORGET all the old and welcome the new ! 
■■■ The future is bright and true ! 
Plough for the beautiful dream of the new — 
Build the land ! 

Changeless the past, but the future is ours, 

Open for us to take part. 
Fruit of our purposes, proof of our powers. 

Work for yours now ! 

All we desire is for us to create ; 

Here in our hands, here is the chance! 
This is the day that is never too late, 

This is the land. 



24 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Life's Friendly Smile 

T IFE'S friendly smile is like a sweet spring, 
^* Gushed forth from granite rocks ; 
The bo'w of promise spanned its glistening drops, 
A silvery rill, from bondage free to wander on to its 
life's way, the Sea. 

Thus some innocent, friendly smile. 
Crowning a world of death and sin, 
Blossoms into beauty of soul through love 
Sheds like the sunlight from above. 

A friendly smile is just like sunshine; 
It freshens all the day; 
It tips the peaks of life with light 
And drives the clouds away. 

And the thing that goes the farthest 
Toiward making life worth while — 
Costs the least and does the most — 
Is just a friendly smile. 

And fulfilling the promises of the rill, 
Tho' it may wander whither at will ; 
At last it reaches the open sea, 
And reaches the sea of Eternity — 
Just true, a life's friendly smile. 

Love Means Service 

I OVE means service. Here is where it shines. Self- 
•*^ ishness implies one person. There can be no love 
without at least two persons. The selfish man centers 
everything upon himself. He who loves seeks others. 
So the man that loves his neighbor will serve his neigh- 
bor. He will help him and sacrifice for him, if neces- 
sary. This is not a burden. He delights in it. He 
cannot be happy without it. His heart seeks other 
hearts and only as it finds them in loving service does 
it find its own satisfaction. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 25 

Boost for "Yavapai" 

CITTING on a bench out in the park one evening, 
•^ In the beautiful city a mile on high, 
When tht full moon was up in the clear blue sky. 
Nearby sat a couple, talking o'er its wondrous beauty, 
And they wondered why so few people visit here 
In this wonderful clime of good old Yavapai. 
If they only knew what is good for all of you, 
You wouldn't forget so soon to 'boost for Prescott. 

If you only knew what is good for Prescott, 
You would have 'this town a-booming very soon ; 
For if everyone would boost like you and L 
Prescott would prosper, though the living is high. 
If you only know what is good for Yavapai, 
You'id not spend you money all away from home ; 
You'd stay in gay old Prescott, with her pine-topped 

hills— 
If you only knew what I know, you'd boost for Arizona. 

If all you would pull together for Arizona, 

And let people know how many shady brooks you have. 

Everybody in this land, "Prescott" would then be in 

demand. 
You'd work to full capacity and more ; 
Then the merchant and the hotels would be busy, 
And prosperity would your every effort crown. 
Every store room would be filled, new ones you would 

have to build ; 
There wouldn't be an empty house in town ! 

If you only knew what is good for all of you 
You'd pull for "Yavapai and Arizona." 

* * * 

A GOOD many people expect to get something for 
nothing; but they are nowhere near as numerous 
as those who get nothing for something. 



26 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Courtesy Heis a Big Value 

/^CURTESY may seem a lost art to some, or little 
^ worth bringing back, but it is not. 

Courtesy is one of the old-time arts that dies only 
with the man or the business, for the rise of many a 
man and business has started with it. 

Emerson once wrote: "Give a boy address and 
accomplishments, and you give the master of palaces 
and fortunes wherever he goes." 

Courtesy is of more value to a man than a thou- 
sand letters of written recommendation. Courtesy is 
an asset of more power than money or influence. 
Many presidents of corporations owe their career to 
courtesy. Courtesy lightens the burdens of toil; cour- 
tesy demands respect. Courtesy is a little brother to 
opportunity, and follows her around through the busy 
hours of the day, and at the end leads to friendship. 

Take the courteous office boy, the courteous clerk, 
the courteous stenographer, the courteous ticket 
agent, the courteous waiter, the courteous manager 
and the courteous leader of heavy tasks — whoever 
heard of such a one not growing or not climbing into 
greater things? Think over these truths, for it is tre- 
mendously worth while to take time to be courteous 
in this busy, selfish, bustling world of ours. 
The man who scatters sunshine is the man who gets 

the boon ; 
He makes a lot more friendships than the one who 

scatters gloom. 
If he meets his next-door neighbor, he can meet him 

with a smile ; 
And the man who is a frowner will be beaten by a mile. 

A Blessing 

'T'HE greatest blessing that can come to an organ- 
■■• ization — political, fraternal or otherwise — ^is har- 
mony among its members. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 27 

Christmas Night 

Q CHRISTMAS night! 

^^ We sing tonight the Christmas chimes, 

Of Chnistmas anniversary chimes — 

The holy chimes, 

The golden chimes, 
The mellowed tones of golden chimes 
And sweet for Thee of whom we sing. 
May all the bells of Concord ring 

The sacred chimes. 

The golden chimes, 
As they have rung in olden times. 
May warm love greet you when the chimes 
Shall ring again on Christmas night. 



The Fruits of Our Labor 

A S IT was in the days of old, that figs did not grow 
^^ from cactus, the man who expects to reap figs 
has always had to plant figs, and he always will. But 
there seems to be hope eternal in the human breast 
that by some yet undiscovered process our particular 
figs will grow on almost any kind of a desert bush. 
So we go on seeding with the seed nearest at hand 
and easiest to get, and in after years sit down and 
wonder why the crop isn't just what we wanted. But 
if you do your part, Fate or Fortune, or whatever 
name by which you choose to call it — ^God will do the 
rest; but always and forever keep in your miind : 

Every 'dime has a plowin' time an' plantin' — 
Sunny days and rainy skies ; 

An' a steady hoein' time, 

Before the harvest time draws nigh ; 

For the apple that you climb for 
Tastes the sweetest in the end. 



28 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Arizona, God's Country 

I ET US lift up the voices, from river to sea ; 

To Americans all, far and near. 
One call, as it throbs o'er the land of the free — 
''Arizona, God's country, for you and me." 

On deserts, down valleys, where great rivers run. 
And far, where the mountains rise gray, 

Ring it on to the land of the setting sun — 
"Arizona, God's country, for you and me." 

Sing of that beautiful land, in that soft clime. 

Of the crimson evening tide ; 
Just for one day, under the clear blue sky. 

In "Arizona, God's country, for you and me." 



School Days 

CCHOOL days have come again. 
School days have come again, 

The happiest of the year; 
A jolly lot of boys and girls 

Have come from far and near. 
We represent the country. 

We represent the town ; 
And you know by the noise 

It's "us" when we're around. 
Because we come back to town, 
For school days again have come. 

We meet for education. 

And we're goin' to need it, too. 
Our nation's destination 

Is "up to" me and you. 
We come for inspiration. 

And we'll make things hum. 
While summer's heat is over 

And school days again have come. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 29 

An Arizona Toast 

JY|Y DARLING Arizona, here's to you; 

Your worth is known from sea to sea. 
As your worth is true, your clime's my clime; 
Your style's my style, and your ensign's blue. 
Oh, my darling Arizona, Lm for you. 

The Cactus Giant 

•y HERE grows a tree within our State, 

Majestic, tall, of desert fame ; 
Its home is in the sun-kissed clime, 
Well known to all as cactus giant.' 

It rears its crown and tops them all; 
'Tis life-saver of the desert called. 
The first to greet the traveler's eye, 
And its beauty charms the passerby. 

On its limbs the thrush m_akes its nest, 
There to break the desert hush. 
Spring-time brings forth its lilies fair, 
And crowns the giant of the desert there. 

Within our southern valley great 

The sunniest clime of any state — 
A cactus forest was reclaimed. 
Named by its founders ''Cactus Park". 

It took its rank and held its place, 
Long before the pale-face came. 
The record of the past gives proof 
Of noble deeds to human needs. 

Oh, Cactus Giant ! Oh. Cactus Giant ! 
Close to our heart your name's entwined. 
Your home is on the scorching plains, 
As life-saver and friend to man. 



30 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Nature's Beauty Helps to Form Character 

TTELL what you have seen as you have traveled over 
*' the world and come in touch with nature and with 
human life. In what way has it contributed to your 
individual character and welfare? 

To be able to see the beauties of nature, to enjoy 
the glories of the mountains, or to become enraptured 
with the highest music and the wonders of nature's 
painting, is to call forth those tastes which help to form 
character. It is a glorious thing to see God in His 
nature world, to hear His voice in the ripple of the 
stream, in the sighing of the trees, in the music of the 
song bird, in the rolling of the thunder, in the roaring 
of the sea, in the chirping of the crickets, in the dawn 
and sunset beauty, and among the plants of the wild 
flowers. 

The man who has no spiritual vision and cannot get 
in touch with the beauties of nature, is worse off than 
a blind man. 



I 



More Brotherhood of Man Is the Cry Today 

T IS not a grand, magnificent mansion, 
It is not a new furnished room; 
It is not a set of cushions. 
Or a marble front will tell. 
It is none of these things, my brother. 
That we are in need of most today; 
But the good old-fashioned religion, 
And more power of brotherhood of man 
Is the cry in our midst today. 
In this beautiful sunny land 
We need more today. 

Peace Thought 

r^ OD grant that I may live to see the day 
^-* When all revenge in mankind shall cease to be ; 
And all nations' hatred shall be banished from earth. 
And a lasting peace reign among all tongues and 
creeds. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 31 

Don't Feel Blue 

IF TIMES are hard and you feel "blue," 

Think of the others worrying, too. 
Just because your trials are many. 
Don't think the rest of us haven't any. 
Life is made of smiles and tears, 
Joys and sorrows mixed with fears ; 
And though to you it seems one-sided. 
Trouble is pretty well divided. 
If we could look in every heart 
We'd find that each one has its part ; 
And those who travel fortune's road 
Sometimes carry the biggest load. 



If He Is Your Friend 

TF HE gives you recognition 

•■' When your clothes are patched and torn 

If he comes to see and cheer you 

When you are lying sick and worn ; 
If he takes your hand and lifts you up 

When you're on the downward track; 
If he says the same things to your face 

That he says behind your back ; 
If when odds are strong against you. 

He fights for you to the end, 
Bind him tightly to your heart, 

For that man surely is your friend. 



Meters Everywhere 

LJ ELP me to get away from those meters : Gas 
^^ meters ! Electric meters ! Water meters ! Steam 
■m.eters ! Time meters ! Speed meters ! Even cold- 
storage meters ! Lord, how they afi^ect the cost of liv- 
ing! Van meters; how they affect the cost of loving! 
I trust they won't invent air meters in this balmy clime 
of ours ! 



32 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

San Xavier Mission Fathers Were Trail Blazers 

nPHE old mission fathers of the early Padres in our 
state were the ones who blazed the trails of civil- 
ization in this new and old land of ours. They were 
the farthest removed from leaners; they were a devo- 
tional race of men, and knew no such words as fail in 
the upbuilding of the desert land and the erection of 
the temples on the lonely desert, which we still have 
with us. And it is due to their gallant efforts that the 
civilization in the Southwest was won today, and in 
all their forward movements there still stands a cross 
in memory to the good old Padres and pioneers. 

When San Xavier Mission Was New 

CPEAKING to an old "San Xavier mission father," 

Of his Padres brave and true. 
Of the times when pale-faces were few, 

When this old mission was new. 
"They're gone," he sadly murmurs, 

And his eyes fill with tears, 
As he tells of good old "San Xavier," 

As it was in former years. 

He may tell some doubtful stories. 

But the truth I won't gainsay; 
For good old San Xavier was a haven — 

Yes, a retreat — ^in her day. 
They're gone, these good old Padres, 

Some are sleeping 'neath the dew; 
A few remain yet to remind us 

That once this mission was new. 

Honor to the good old Padre — 

Let his memory ever stay ; 
Now he's vanished, gone forever — 

"Grand old Father" of yesterday. 
He who ventured o'er the desert — 

Blazed the trail for me and you — 
Has gone to rest on yonder mesa 

Since "San Xavier Mission" was new. 



"5 




CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 33 

Februsury Month Is One of Aweikening 

'X'HE month of February has its bright sunny days 
of charm and inspiration, of hope and awakening, 
more than any other month in the year, in this land of 
cloudless skies. 

One cannot help but pause in the mild rays of the 
sun and view the green fields and the rows of hedges 
along the highways and admire the little brooklet rip- 
pling on its wiay, on whose edges the spring violets 
bloom in profusion and charm the passerby. 

The birds from the northland that have come to 
spend the winter in this golden sunshine, seem to feel 
just the same. Their notes are as clear as the clear 
air. The robin red-breast is enjoying his feast on the 
palm "seed, and is joyously calling to its mate to hurry 
up and get some, too. 

The bluebirds in large numbers are looking for 
their feed in the green alfalfa meadows, while the 
meadow lark sings its little song on the fence post to 
the passers. What a glad and beautiful world this 
looks like, as one drives or rides along the valleys and 
over the foothills. 



A True Heart I Want For a Friend 

IT'S NOT the heart with lust for gold I want for a 

* friend. 

For gold that vanishes won't buy the true heart of a 

friend ; 
Nor will mere length of a fortune spoil the sincere 

heart of a friend, 
Nor break the ties of friendship strong or lay it low 

to die. 
For what is within the heart of man that's what makes 

life fair — 
Just honest, kind and on the square — 
That is the kind of a heart I want for a friend. 



34 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Cause for Thanksgiving 

'T'HANKSGIVING ought to mean much to everyone 
■■ who lives in this beautiful, sunny climate. Even 
the least fortunate of our people enjoy blessings of 
which their forefathers could hardly dream, and look- 
ing back over the years, what a great transformation 
has marked our advancement through Indian days and 
old Quantrell's wild raids; through great tribulations 
have we reached the present attainment. But it is 
through such fighting, enduring and suffering that our 
great Cactus state has made its progress. 

Years ago sickness and pestilence meant something 
very different from their present significance. Anaes- 
thetics, modern surgery, cleanliness, ventilation and 
good care work daily wonders for rich and poor alike, 
which 'were unheard of only a little while ago. 

It is not long since in western civilized countries 
that more than a hundred crimes were punishable with 
death. Shameless technicalities meant more than jus- 
tice, mercy and kindness. The law of today may be far 
short of what it should be, but it is unspeakably better 
than the law of yesterday. For education, health and 
material well being; for justice, freedom and peace, all 
men and women ought to render humble and hearty 
thanksgiving. 

And it ought to be all the more fervent because 
along with it go hearts full of sympathy for other peo- 
ple from whom cruel war has taken these blessings for 
a season. 

Noiw let us make the keynote of Thanksgiving day. 
not gratitude that we have received blessings of which 
others have been deprived, that we have escaped dis- 
asters which have been visited on others, but that our 
rich blessings give us power to be of service to other 
sufferers, and let us remember that he who possesses 
peace of mind is blessed ; he who is endowed with wis- 
dom is blessed ; he who merits the love of a little child 
or the friendship of a dog is blessed ; he who loses all 
else and maintains health is blessed. 

So stop and count your blessings one by one. Even 
the smallest of these is for us to be thankful. 



B 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 35 

Arizona Nuggets 

RAGGING is always excusable when you brag of 

your home town. 

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

The fellow who thinks only of self makes a poor 
subject for the thoughts of others. 
^ ^ ^,i ^ ^ 

No matter what the weather may be, you can always 
have sunshine in the heart. 

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

How often some knotty problem has been solved 
with the aid of an honest and trusty friend. But the 
most steady friend is our dear mother. How many 
times have her cheering words inspired us to "try 
again." 

We all know it does not appetar more often in poli- 
tics than it does in society, this civic hypocrisy ; you all 
know the man and the woman who tells you in scan- 
dalized wh/ispers of so and so's shortcomings, and then 
dissolves into joyous smiles when the fellow comes 
along. 

^ ^ jjc >ii >H 

The greatest joy in our lives is the inspiration of 
our activity; the balm for the thorns that have been 
strewn along our path is the satisfaction that comes to 
us in knowing the good deeds we have accomplished 
among our fellow beings in the past, in that little world 
that surrounds us while traveling on life's journey. For 
what greater joy can come to a man than the knowl- 
edge that his efforts have helped others, have helped 
them overcome some obstacle that has stood between 
them and a greater success. 

5ji Jji 5jC »jC »J» 

Have you an American flag? Look at it occasion- 
ally and you will become a more loyal citizen by so 
doing. 



36 CACTUS AND, BLOSSOMS 

To My Successor 

LJERE is a toast to my successor, a fellow who's 

* *• going to follow me; 

The fellow who's going to take my place when it's 

time for me to go 
I've wondered what kind of a chap he'll be, and I've 

wished I could take his hand, 
Just to whisper, 'T wish you well, old chap," in a way 

he'd understand. 
I'd like to give him the cheering word that I've longed 

at times to hear ; 
Vd like to give him the warm hand-clasp, when never 

a friend seems near. 
I've learned my knowledge by sheer hard work, and I 

wish I could pass it on 
To the fellow who'll come to take my place when it's 

time for me to go. 
Will he see all the sad mistakes I've made and note 

all the battles lost, or 
Will he ever guess of the tears they caused or the 

heartaches which they cost, or 
Will he gaze through the failures and fruitless toil to 

the underlying plan, 
And catch a gliimpse of the real intent and the heart 

of a vanquished man? 
I dare hope he may pause some day as he toils as I 

have wrought, 
And gain some strength for his weary task from the 

battles which I have fought. 
But I've only the task itself to leave with the cares 

for him to face. 
And never a cheering word may speak to the fellow 

who'll take my place. 
Then here's to your success old chap, when you'll get 

into that place ; 
I leave an unfinished task for you, but God knows 

how I tried. 
I've dreamed my dreams as all men do, but never a 

one came true: 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 37 

And my prayer today is that all the dreams may be 

realized by you. 
And when, at the end of your term, we'll meet some 

day in the realm, 
You'll know my clasp as I take your hand and gaze 

in your tired face. 
Then all our failures will be success, in the light of 

the new-found dawn ; 
So I'm wishing you well, old chap, when you'll take 

my place when I am gone. 

New Year's Time 

pAIR hands may set the New Year's clock. 
What time we never can forget; 
No key the future can unlock, 
No hand the clock of death may set. 

The New Year's time, 

The happy time. 
New times, new favors and new joys 
Be wove for you all with threads of gold. 
Who vo'ws begin and vows renew 
And happy year of life review, 

May love's sweet times 

At all her times 
Greet you from far and wide. 
Where'er life's tent of peace may be. 

A happy year for thee 

May it be for thee, 
'Till life shall end, and after life, 
Eternal bliss beyond the skies, 

I wish you all 

On New Year's time. 



"YJT/ITH grateful memory of the past, we face the 
^ future years with every confidence, believing 
always that the true measure of life's success is not 
found in the business world alone, but largely in the 
great joy of friendship building. 



38 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

A Bed of Violete 

A S I WAS sitting on a bench in the court house 
^^ park one Sunday, in Go'd's beautiful sunshine, en- 
joying the songs and twitter of the birds with heart's 
content, and as I observed the beauty of nature, I could 
not help but notice a group of ladies leaning over the 
iroin fence and exclaim : "What a beautiful bed of vio- 
lets ! They are just lovely." This 'little bed of violets 
has had more admiration from the ladies of our city 
and the tourist world in the spring of the year than 
anything else, and is worthy of admiiration. Right at 
the present time it is in full bloom and is a mass of 
violet blue basking in the sunshine, and spreads its 
fragrance to the passersby. It was a little bed at the 
same spot sixteen years ago, when I first saw it there, 
and has grown to a goodly size. It grows almost 
without a caretaker, except a little water occasionally. 
Its beauty and charming sight have carried many a 
message of love to the passerby, or thrilled some 
lonely heart, though shattered life's hopes may be. 

It never fails to inform us labout the middle of Feb- 
ruary that spring is again at hand, when its little buds 
begin to show their little heads. Probably few realize 
what an important part the violet plays among society, 
young and old. It is in demand everywhere when in 
season. It reminds one again of the boyhood days, 
when we used to ramble through the woods together 
with our first sweetheart, picking wild violets in the 
familiar haunts. It carries inspiration that words are 
too harsh to communicate. It touches heart chords 
like sweet music and brings back memories of glad 
days gone by, of which we love to think when we 
think of love. 

And it brings back that longing 
To sit again once more. 

Beneath the shady willow. 

Where birds poiur out their song; 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 39 

Beside the babling brooklet, 

Sing-ing its way along-, 
Where violets sweet with perfume 

Attract you and me. 
Ah, there could I rest forever, 

With the sweetheart to be. 



What's In the Heart Will Appear in the Face 

V/OU cannot reap joy for yourself out of the pain of 
■*■ others. You cannot harvest peace out of the dis- 
quiet of your fellows. You cannot build right on the 
foundation of wrong. Life coimes from the inside out, 
and not froim the outside in. Life radiates ; it cannot be 
absorbed. What you are inside that you will ultimately 
be outside, and you cannot evade it or avoid it. If 
there is a canker at yo'ur heart it will eat its way out, 
and you shall in no way stop it except by cutting out 
its very roots. You cannot be honest with the rest of 
the world until you are honest with yourself. 



Let Nature Comfort You 

IT IS difficult for many of us to find anything but self- 
ishness and sadness in this world of city life, and 
one would be less than human to have any other deep 
mood now untinged by the thought of war. 

Yet nature is not selfish, nor indififerent; she is the 
calm and healing mother for us all. Bone of her bone, 
ficsh of her flesh, she has made us and nourished us 
ever kindly; and when human selfishness in a bustling 
city life, trying to overwhelm you, find some quiet field 
far from the voices of .men, lie in the grass close to her 
bosom, listen to the crickets and let nature comfort 
you. She can and will bestow her blessing -upon us all 
who seek her virtue. 



40 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Natural Thoughts of God's Nature Land 

'T'HE world of nature has provided us with the nec- 
essaries of life, and the talent given us to make 
use of the same. Each day has its task — no more. It 
is only when we go beyond that which nature has 
given us and force the mind and body to do things not 
prescribed by nature; when we are not content with 
present-day surroundings and to bear the evils the day 
may have brought us, but harm ourselves with antici- 
pation of those the future may bring; when we are not 
satisfied with the "daily bread" for which one wiser 
than we taught us to pray, but strive to lay up a useless 
surplus to leave behind ; when the pleasure of this 
world was given us to enjoy as nature provided it for 
in wholesome moderation degenerate into wild ex- 
cesses. It is only then that outraged nature takes 
revenge for the neglect of her laws, and sanitariums, 
climate resorts and lunatic asylums are filled with the 
victims of ill-regulated lives. 
I sometimes think we may not see a climate 
More complete in reality of loveliness and beauty rare, 
Of winter's healing, bailmy air. 
That brings back hope to the afflicted here, 
From far city's troubled everywhere. 
Like long-forgotten dreams come true ; 
In this sunny land, they come from everywhere. 
Those ''health seekers," and when they tdon't happen to 
find the same green hills which they had away back in 
the New England states, then they just keep on kickin' 
and a'cussin' and call "God's country" a God-forsaken 
land. For an example, we have from "a traveler on the 
desert" somewhere in this beautiful valley, under the 
title, "The Exile Far from the Old Home," a poem in 
an eastern magazine a few months ago. This article 
found a large circulation in the eastern states, and was 
reprinted by a number of publications, of which a copy 
was sent to me by eastern friends, inquiring if that 
talented writer was telling the truth, or if he was 
"homesick," or if that was the result of an Arizona 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 41 

nightmare. When he starts off saying, "I am down in 
Arizona on the desert's burning sands, 'tis a God-for- 
saken land," etc., so down the line, in the fourth and 
fifth verses he closes by saying, "New England has no 
mountain full of wealth and mines and drills, but I'd 
give ;this whole damned country for one night of its 
green hills," etc. It is astonishing how some people 
love to knock, and still they will come out here to this 
land of the blest. If they would only learn to come 
before it's too late, and not fail to realize the blessing 
the Almighty has bestowed upon them when he created 
the dry desert in the great southwest, the only land of 
hope for ithe afflicted. Thus far the dry desert air has lost 
none of its virtues, because one little flower has failed 
to bloom. Shall nature's healing power not conquer 
the white plague tomb? Because the rain forgot the 
thirsty land, shall not I'ife live on the desert? He who 
made it so for the afflicted, a star of hope, the brightest 
that ever shone were God's plan for you and me. 

There's beauty all around us. Then why should we 
be sad? Even the desert has its beauty and sings to 
the lonely heart that loves her. Her beauty thrills the 
longing heart of nature ; each bush and wild flower, 
each towering cactus, speaks to the listening ear. 
There's never a wayside rock but offers a charming 
sight to some passerby; no bird but may thrill some 
lonely heart. Though shattered life's hopes may be, 
God gave us all some^talent to make this world a little 
sweeter. Right thinking is the most important law of 
nature. 



42 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

A Bright New Year 

'X'HAT the new year holds a great promise for each 
and all is as certain as its coming. It opens wide 
its portals of hope ; reveals in glo-wing outline the 
bright future of a great achievement, and points the 
way to the loftiest heights. All that it asks in return 
is that we shall be worthy of the goal, faithful and con- 
sistent in our progress towards it. How far we shall 
travel along the road illumined by the new year's won- 
drous light, remains for us to decide. Nor should any 
selfish spirit mark or mar the conquest of the opportu- 
nities it presents. 

If we are to secure real happiness for ourselves and 
fellow beings on life's journey, we must practice at all 
times the full significance and inspiration of the dawn- 
ing year by perpetuating our love and sympathies for 
mankind everywhere, and by giving permanent truth 
to the so oft-spoken good wishes of New Year's day. 

Some 'will probablv read this just before or after the 
new year comes in. I, therefore, would like to extend 
to the readers and all my friends a hearty wish that 
1917 may be the best year you have ever had in your 
lives. Remember that our lives in this beautiful world 
are largely what we make them, and if you decide right 
now that 1917 will be a good year, you wiJl find in 
December that you have had one of the brightest and 
most blest years ever known in the land of the blessed. 



Besfin Now 

/^NLY by doing our duty towards one another can 
^^^ we learn how to do it. No one would dream of 
learning to play a violin merely by looking at the in- 
strument and coumting the strings. We must begin to 
play, even though discord be the first result. The way 
to anything worth reaching, is to begin. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 43 

The Flower of Civilization 

TTHE standard of our civilization is determined by the 
attention given to details and the use made of pre- 
viously discarded resources. 

The savage lets the desert remain a desert, but the 
civilized man digs the irnigation ditch, floods the arid 
plains with moisture, and roses bloom upon the wind- 
sv^ept sands. 

Christianity has won its place in this sun-kissed 
land by conserving and developing discarded human 
beings and elements; she has taken ignorant people 
and^savage races and developed them into the flower of 
civilization. She has taken the outcast of society and 
restored him to his proper place among his fellowmen. 

For half a century the debris from the coal mines 
lay in the discarded mountain heaps; then the industry 
developed, until today fortunes are made by washing 
the coal fro^m the culm banks. 

This conservation and development have always 
been accomplished at the sacrifice of precedent and 
tradition. "It is not the custom'' has been the bane of 
all improvement. The traditionist has never been a 
prophet or an inventor. The rebel of one generation 
is the patriot of the next. It is not true that ''what 
always is must be." 

Here in the southwestern American desert is the 
chief indication of the rising standard of our civilization 
in the conservation and utilization of our resources. 
This is not found merely in valleys ; it runs everywhere 
through the thousands of miles into the mountains, 
''who shall bring forth its wealth and the desert shall 
blossom as the rose." 

15*9 e^ 1?^ 

^ ^ ^ 

ETOR the benefit of those who know me in the West, 
I can truthfully say that I have often plucked a 
desert cactus and planted a flower in its lonely place, 
wherever a flower would grow. 



44 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

Desert's Beauty by Moonlight 

T F THOU wouldst view the desert aright, 
Go visit it by the silver moonlight fair ; 
For the gay beams of light some day, 
Illuminates its wondrous beauty there. 
Thou 'WOuldst have thought some fairy hand, 
Twixt and straight the cactus stand, 
In many a freakish knob nature had twined ; 
Then formed a cross when the work was done, 
And in the silver light that shone, 
Showed many a redman's skill on stone. 
Whose image was carved of man and beast, 
By him who calls the desert "Home, sweet home." 



O 



My California Friend 

UT iin California I have a friend, 
In this greajt western world that has no end 
Yet weeks go by and monthis rush Oin, 
And before I know it a year has rolled by, 
And I never see my old friend's face. 
For time seems like a swift rushing stream ; 
He knows I like him just as of yore — 
As in the days we went to school 
And piayed together — we were young then, 
And now we are busy, hustling men ; 
Busy wiith piling up an earthly gain, 
Busy with itrying to make a worldly name. 
"This summer" I will call on ,my friend, 
Juist ito show that I still care for him ; 
But summer comes .and summer goes. 
And the distance between us dimmer grows. 
Out in California — many miles away — 
Comes this telegram : 

"Friend George died today." 
That's what we get and deserve in the end ; 
Out in California, a vanished friend. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 45 

The Joy of Outdoor Life 

'T'HE joy of outdoor life, the life of nature, the life of 
the bird and the bush; to sit on the shady side, 
surrounded by nature and God's work you will find on 
every hand, His glory is not in its freedom, but I find 
its glory in the open ; each bird, each bush and wild 
flower, each towering tree speaks to the listening ear. 
There's never a wayside rock but offers a charming 
sight to some passerby ; no bird but may thrill some 
heart, though shattered life's hopes may be. God gave 
us all some talent to make this world a little sweeter. 



When We First Met 

"YJT/E MET where the Pacific ocean roars, 

On an evening's stroll by moonlit shores, 
By the broken ,glitter of the wave, 
Wiith throbbing he'arts we in silence stood. 
Then out to me her white hands went, 
And on my heart, before I knew. 
Closely nes tiled, she sobbed and cried : 
"My heart, my love, "tis all for you !" 
And when she co*uld weep no more 
She kissed me with no shame nor fear. 
''O, how this heart of mine," she said, 
''Hias pined for you and you alone !" 
And this, my true love, now I tell, 
For back to Arizona we must go ; 
And speak me proud, but O, my love, 
'Tis only us two that shall ever know." 



Toil, the Price of Peace and Joy 

VJT/ORK is the price of peace ; toil is the price of joy. 
In this lies the solution of life. It is God's law, 
and it is man's law. There is no easy way. There is 
no other iluck than this. 



46 CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 

The Friendship Flower 

RIENDSHIP is a wonderful flower, delicate while 



F 



young, growing stronger, richer, purer with the 
passing years. 

Love, hope and charity form the soil from which it 
springs; sympathy beautifies it; adversity purifies it; 
truth is the elixir, the refined spirit from which its 
strength emanates; joy is intensified, sorrow alleviated 
by it. Its chalice holds the essence of love. 

Rare friendship flowers are those that blossom 
along the rugged path of endeavor. They spread upon 
the air of the clear height of right doing, a perfume that 
heals all bruises of the heart and soul. The fragrance 
of one of those flowers will sweeten a whole life. 



Arizona Welcomes You 

/^OME, view the grandeur of Arizona at will ; 

Search for peace of heart with all your skill ; 
The door stands op&n wide and lofty, 
A welcome awaits all who wish to enter 
And seek her wealth of beauty on her bosom. 
In vain you've searched the European shores, 
In vain you've searched the foreign clime. 
Grass and flowers, quiet treads. 
On the mead's and mountain heads, 
While at home Vv^ith pleasure close at hand. 
Its charming beauty twinkling on every side 
Awaits your coming to view its grandeur 
In the knd of the Golden West. 



CACTUS AND BLOSSOMS 47 



Salutation 

"W/HAT can we do these days 
^ That will make this world brighter? 
Isn't there some one in it 

Who can gladden it with song? 
Isn't there some one who will scatter 

Just a kindly word of cheer? 
Maybee it's you that's reading 

This brief message wTiitten here. 

Everyone of us has a duty 

That none but ourselves can do ; 
Let it be crowned with beauty 

And a meaning deep and true. 
Let each of us cheer the other 

And add to the world's brightness. 
I'll be your faithful brother, 

And you'll be as truly mine. 

And though when you've finished reading 

These lines you shall go your way, 
Good friend, and but little heeding 

The things I have sought to say. 
Life may seem kindlier rather, 

And hold still more of cheer, 
Because we have come together 

And chatted a moment here. 




One of the First Adobe Inns in 
Southern Arizona 



